To think married couples should be taxed together

Considering household income for benefits purposes is just common sense. It would be ridiculous for the taxpayer to fund benefits for someone who was living with a high earner (unless they were disability benefits that aren't means tested).

It's very different from introducing taxation based on household income, which would trap many women at home and make it very difficult for some to retain their independence. It is a feminist issue as far as I'm concerned.

I would be against this. It would hurt women more than help them.

for example my ex was a high earner and I was a low earner. So financially we would have been better off him having my tax free allowance as he was paying higher rate tax on some of his income while I was on normal rate tax. I could have paid tax on my whole income and still paid normal rate -so would have made sense he get my tax fee allowance and jointly we would have been better off.

except a big reason we split was because I didn’t have access to ‘his’ money while his high earning meant I lost child benefits and couldn’t get help with childcare. He wasn’t exactly abusive and would not have forced me to give him my tax free allowance had that been possible but I suspect such a scheme would be utilised by financially abusive men in droves

You have a lot of faith in Hmrc. I deal with them on a regular basis - there are many, many ways this would be screwed up.

they screw up simple things all the time

I support the principle of independent taxation and I don't agree that it should be an option to transfer the allowance. Introducing this would potentially put pressure on some women to give up their careers so that their husbands could benefit from their tax allowances. There is no guarantee that the women would have access to all of the household income in that scenario. Very appealing for controlling men who are financially abusive.

Married couples in the US can choose to file separately or jointly.

😱 But some of us have careers. WTAF.

Not true, because she would be earning money and paying tax to cover this.

As an older woman who was a SAHP for some years, I never thought I was entitled to transfer my tax free allowance to my husband. I was not contributing directly to the economy, which this country needs. I don’t buy this rubbish that SAHP are contributing to the economy through looking after their children. My grandchildren have a mixture of care : Nursery, School, holiday and after school clubs, Us and their other Grandparents. They are certainly no worse off for not being brought up by a SAHP. The economy is benefiting from both their parents working.

I think household income calculations of tax not limited to marriage would be more likely than anything based on marriage - gives want to move to household income to tax more effectively (more) but it would be based on who you live with, not who you’re married to - the reason the marriage tax allowance is so small is tories feared to do more given so many cohabiting but not married these days.

I understand what @DeskJotter is saying. Very few living costs suddenly halve once you are on your own. In fact, some of the costliest things remain the same, especially heating and energy, and many costs and prices increase proportionally compared to a couple.

There's plenty of evidence and data online to demonstrate the economic and financial impact of being on your own. Then there's the 'single person' tax on concessionary spending, too - holidays, most travel, not to mention the promotions/offers that are only for two.

Politically, there's not much that can be done, sadly. It would take a brave politician to cut through 'couple entitlement' and 'hard working family' rhetoric that discriminates against singles - plus, with Rachel Reeves sneaking her hand into people's purses, we are a soft target.

Far fewer people would get married if you did this, as the household would end up paying more tax so economically it doesn't make immediate sense, particularly considering that people tend to marry just before an expensive time of life with childcare costs and the need to house a family. Which would negatively impact women. First, if the relationship breaks down, as overall women benefit more on a divorce than on a break up of an unmarried relationship. Secondly, if the partner dies as spouses have greater protection on death.

Absolutely same. We are both high earners and own a home but I would not have got married if I couldn’t have kept my financial independence. This would start a massive hole where suddenly my income would come into the calculation of his child maintenance payments etc etc. it would never stop. I already don’t get child benefit, I don’t want to have to merge my finances so some SAHM can feel more financially secure!! If you decide to stay home then it’s your responsibility to sort it all out. I would hate for single people to be worse off, a system entirely unfair!

Obviously you are treated as a couple for benefits. Benefits are about the minimum you need. Tax is about how much you earn and can vary.
It definitely won’t be coming here. The government would loose far too much money from people who would decide to be a SAHP and get their OH to have their tax allowance, while giving nothing to the economy.

And the tax rate in Ireland is famously high.

Oh for goodness sake (polite version!)...... Women have fought for years to be treated as individuals in our own right, and now the OP wants to go back to the stone age. My finances are nothing to do with my husband's, and vice versa. We have been happily married for 35 years. These two things are not coincidental!

I was with you until the "better services". I'm Irish living in the UK, and the services in the UK far outstrip those in Ireland. Particularly the NHS, but also public amenities, refuse collection, etc.

💯 should be an option.

DH and I run a business together and we effectively share the tax burden.

you are treated as a unit for benefits so why not tax?

being able to share lower tax brackets is so helpful for a family.

But why should a married couple pay less tax?

I agree, it is really not unusual for a woman to be the higher earner.

I'm sorry for your loss.

I'm not sure how your costs are the same for one person compared to two. If that were the case, the point being made on here by some others (i.e. "my husband has to support me") would be redundant - because it is equally cheap to support a second, non-earning partner as it is to be single?

100% agree